After breakfast, Astrid and Amalia set off for the city lord’s mansion to receive local nobles and guide the city lord in preparing tomorrow’s investment ceremony.

Before leaving, Amalia instructed the maids to clean the rooms thoroughly. She planned to stay overnight again at the Regent’s Mansion tonight.

"Elise will be accompanying us, so please pay special attention, Lyra. Don’t let clumsy maids soil the bed linens."

After they left, Astrid’s inner circle relied solely on Lyra. Amalia’s request was perfectly reasonable.

As for other implications, only the two who had spoken in the corridor last night truly understood.

"Hmm, I understand..."

Was Amalia... trying to prove something to her?

Lyra softly acknowledged Amalia’s words, gently dabbing her lips with a silk handkerchief, when Astrid spoke.

"We’ll hold tonight’s welcoming banquet at the city lord’s mansion. I’ll send a carriage to pick you up, Lyra."

"You seem a bit worn out. Don’t overexert yourself this morning, rest well."

Noticing the rare tenderness in Astrid’s voice that she’d never show others, Lyra lifted her eyes to meet those crimson irises. Her pink lips pressed together slightly, and a flicker of inquiry passed through her gaze.

"Alright, Astrid."

As the conversation ended, the silver-haired princess in an elegant black gown, her alluring figure accentuated by the dress, donned a noblewoman’s hat. Black silk gloves gradually covered her delicate hands, leaving only the lace-trimmed edges to reveal glimpses of wrists whiter than snow.

Holding her hand was a golden-haired girl of equal nobility, dressed in a soft, pure white princess dress and silver stilettos. Her ankles, wrapped in blue ribbons, perfectly matched with her delicate, side-cut princess shoes, swaying gently with each step like dancers accompanying the rhythmic clicking of heels.

Watching the two, one in black, one in white, standing side by side, their refined elegance clearly stemming from the same bloodline, like dazzling twin lotuses, Lyra had a fleeting illusion that they were meant to stand like this, together.

"..."

The rhythmic footsteps faded into the distance, along with the night-sky colored hem of their dresses disappearing from sight. Lyra bit her lip and quietly contained the maids.

"The Regent’s and the Empress’s rooms, I’ll handle them myself."

"Yes, Lady Lyra."

Although it had been a long time since she last served as Astrid’s personal maid, Lyra didn’t feel her household skills had diminished.

Besides... sweeping floors and washing clothes weren’t difficult tasks for an Arbiter anyway.

Leaving the dining hall, she crossed the garden pavilion under the sun and returned as quickly as possible to the corridor where they’d spoken the previous night. Lyra opened the door and entered Amalia’s bedroom.

The room had excellent lighting, with golden morning rays illuminating large sections of the carpet. Except for the slightly rumpled bed, everything else remains nearly untouched since they moved in.

Taking in the familiar scent mixed with traces of another woman’s presence, Lyra bent down to remove her little leather shoes. Her soft, silk-stockinged feet stepped onto the carpet as she silently approached the bed.

A few golden strands rested on the soft pillow, clearly Amalia’s. Astrid’s silver hairs, blending with the pillow’s color, required closer inspection to spot.

Recalling Astrid’s words at breakfast, that they’d stay at the city lord’s mansion all morning and attend the welcoming banquet at noon without returning, Lyra realized she had plenty of time.

She simply sat by the bed, lost in thought for nearly half an hour, before finally rising and heading to the washroom.

"..."

The bed sheets changed last night still lay beneath the sink, while nearby a laundry basket overflowed with various colored clothes.

Amalia had specifically pointed her out before leaving, granting her the freedom to enter their rooms, including inspecting and washing clothes.

After all, it was also part of guiding the maids’ work.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Lyra reached out and carefully touched the clothes in the basket.

After a few minutes, she noticed the white undergarments and stockings were clearly one extra set beyond normal replacement. Looking at the bed sheets nearby and considering how bulky cotton blankets would be, likely stored in the Imperial Scepter, she reached an obvious conclusion.

Amalia hadn’t lied. They really had taken that step.

The Empress and the Regent were no longer simply sisters.

They were... lovers...

.............

Amalia’s inspection visit to Losterling City wasn’t long, but numerous nobles eager to connect with the royal family had sent invitations, hoping the Empress would grace their gatherings.

Considering Astrid’s future plans to promote magitech devices, they needed to unite all possible allies, including neutral nobles they could sway, Amalia selectively accepted some invitations, keeping her schedule tightly packed.

After the welcoming banquet, they first visited the Velmont family for tea, discussing recent military expenditures and future cooperation.

Then, they inspected the residence of Arcanist mages, offering a few words of encouragement, showing that the Empress, though far in the capital, remained deeply concerned about the frontline war effort.

It wasn’t until eight in the evening that Amalia returned to Astrid’s mansion. After some intimate moments, allowing Astrid to personally help her release the accumulated stress of the day, she fell asleep in her sister’s arms.

The next day, the long-awaited award ceremony arrived. Amalia, as Empress of the Valeria Empire, bestowed honors upon meritorious individuals, praising the warriors’ courage and spirit of resistance against overwhelming enemies.

"Lyra Beckett, possessing exceptional talent and fearless courage, has shown unwavering loyalty to the Empire and the Royal Family. In the Battle of White Maple Town, she played a pivotal role, severely wounding the Pope of Light Hebrew and destroying the [Holy Radiant City], eliminating any possibility of the Kingdom of Velys’s claws reaching Losterling City."

"Honored with the title of Imperial Bulwark and achieving such remarkable feats, she deserves recognition. Therefore, I hereby bestow upon Lyra Beckett the title of Imperial Countess."

"May Countess Lyra continue to achieve great deeds, becoming the sharpest spear and strongest shield of the Royal Family, spreading the glory of the Empire far and wide."

Under countless gazes, Lyra knelt on one knee and accepted the title bestowed by the young girl-Empress before her, instantly rising to become Countess Lyra, a figure now towering above most, requiring them to look up in awe.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. The grace you’ve bestowed upon me will remain etched in my heart forever."

A silver-white honeysuckle medal settled on the pink-haired girl’s chest, its dazzling light shimmering across the surface. As the sun rose and set, its radiant glow remained as bright as ever.

That night, at the noble’s ball, Lyra stood alone by a table, one hand holding a glass, the other gently touching her medal.

"Countess Lyra, congratulations on receiving the Empress’s personal ennoblement."

"So young and already achieving such feats, your future prospects are undoubtedly limitless."

"...Thank you."

Amalia’s ennoblement had legally affirmed Lyra’s status. As for strength, only a handful at the entire noble gathering could stand on equal footing with her.

With the Regent and Empress separately discussing state matters, the most accessible and worth currying favor with naturally became Lyra.

"I’ve heard Elizabeth Academy of Magic is planning to include Countess Lyra’s deeds in its academy history."

"An Arcanist mage at only twenty-two, since its founding, the academy has never produced such an outstanding graduate. Countess Lyra is sure to leave a profound mark."

"Three years ago, I also studied at Elizabeth Academy of Magic, we’re alumni, in a way."

Countless people flocked to her with such friendly overtures, a stark contrast to the pink-haired girl who once stood aside Astrid as a mere personal maid, nearly unnoticed by anyone.

Lyra sipped her wine slowly, responding to the social chat while using her peripheral vision to watch Astrid, politely declining invitations to dance.

After a while, the silver-haired, red-eyed center of attention approached, gently clinking her highball glass against Lyra’s and speaking softly.

"Lyra’s a Countess now..."

"How does it feel?"

Astrid’s voice was soft, audible only to the two of them. Lyra hesitated, then responded in the same hushed tone.

"It feels fine. Everyone’s been very warm."

Some value her own talents, others her connection to the powerful Regent. In any case, nearly all were driven by fame and ambition.

Astrid smiled faintly at her response, eyeing Lyra’s glass with gentle concern.

"Drinking too much wine without eating anything isn’t good for your stomach."

"Even as a Crusader, you should take care of your body, don’t rely entirely on its self-regulation."

Hearing Astrid’s words, filled with the same subtle care as always, Lyra’s heart clenched. Her silk-stockinged legs swayed slightly.

After a moment, the girl replied softly.

Okay.

Glasses clinked, warm light danced through the wine, occasionally caught on noble ladies’ expensive hairpieces or lighting up gentlemen’s knightly medals.

Among the crowd, the white-dressed Empress, surrounded by nobles, took a small sip of red wine. Watching the pink-haired girl leave the venue with Astrid, she neither stopped them nor approached, only fluttering her blue eyes, her gaze complex.

.............

"Lyra, I feel you haven’t been very happy lately."

Arriving at the mansion’s decorative fountain, Astrid noticed Elise had silently followed them. She swirled her wine glass and guided Lyra to sit on a bench.

Is something wrong?

Ever since Amalia’s arrival, Lyra’s mood had remained low. Astrid, with faint suspicions forming in her mind, found it hard to relax seeing the Holy Knight like this.

In her eyes, Lyra should be an optimistic, cheerful girl, radiating light and warm, someone whose mere presence makes others feel happy, not like now, with drooping head and ears, her white-silk legs tightly pressed together, clutching her hands with an indescribable tension.

Although she wasn’t doing much better, especially after her conversations with Amalia.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra lifted her head, her fingers lightly tugging at the silk fabric. After a long pause, she finally spoke.

"Do I...seem that unhappy?"

She thought Astrid, preoccupied with Amalia’s return, hadn’t noticed.

After a brief silence, Astrid responded gently.

"Others might not see it, but I can feel it."

"Lately, Lyra forgot to add her favorite jam when eating desserts. Her brows slightly furrowed during conversations. And this red wine..."

Here, Astrid pointed at the nearly empty glass in Lyra’s hand.

"This slightly sour wine, Lyra, as I know her, doesn’t like it. Yet tonight, you’ve been drinking glass after glass."

"Do you really want to get drunk that badly, Miss Knight?"

"..."

A cool evening breeze brushed against the girl’s pale face, slightly lifting the layered sleeves to reveal the tender skin beneath.

"It’s not that I want to get drunk..."

Lyra replied softly, her blue eyes lowered towards the stone fountain before her.

"Astrid... we’re not just friends, are we..."

Friends don’t kiss. They don’t do so many things that cross the line.

At their most intimate moments, they’d been only one step away from truly crossing it.

"Mmm." Astrid took a sip of red wine, giving an affirmative answer.

Hearing this, Lyra’s lips curved into a faint smile, as if happy with the response.

"I see..."

Her ethereal voice blended into the fountain’s flowing water, occasionally accompanied by the chirping of nightingales.

"Truthfully, Astrid has always been... someone incredibly, incredibly precious to me."

"You’ve helped me so, so much, from the entrance exam, to family subsidies, to providing me a place to live, food to eat. When others bullied me, Astrid was always the first to stand up for me. Without Astrid, I can’t even imagine how I would have survived alone in the capital."

"Astrid is the best."

Meeting someone like this in one’s life is truly a great fortune.

Draining the red wine in her glass, Lyra flushed, gazing at the silver-haired beauty beside her, speaking softly.

"Astrid..."

"...shall we do something?"

Her sky-blue eyes clouded with a faint mist, hazy and blurred, like a maiden’s tangled heartstrings.

Astrid looked at Lyra before her, her two black-silk legs elegantly crossed and slightly angled, then gently brushed aside the pink strands tickling her earlobe and leaned in, kissing her.

Soft lips met, like touching delicate snow.

In that moment, Lyra suddenly understood the apology Amalia had offered that night, and what Astrid had truly been doing all along.